Taiwan quizzes new tenant

There was a last-minute hitch surrounding the setting up of the European Commission’s new office in Taiwan, due to open in the next few weeks.

Apparently the owners of the tower block in downtown Taipei where the tiny bureau will be housed were unsure about the credentials of their new tenant.

“What is this European Commission?” they demanded. “And will it pay the rent on time?”

The deal was only saved after Taiwan’s top brass stepped in to vouch for the existence and reliability of the EU’s executive. Just as well, then, that whistleblower accountant Marta Andreasen is still suspended or the office may never have got the nod…

There is something splendidly parochial about the state-aid investigation launched last week by the European Commission’s competition department into JC Decaux, a French advertising company. The question …